Monday, January 16, 2006



Here is a book that every American should read:

Unequal Protection: The rise of corporate dominance and theft of human rights
a new book by Thom Hartmann



In Unequal Protection, author Thom Hartmann tells a compelling, can't-put-it-down story that tracks the history of the loss of democracy in America.
It starts with the birth of the modern corporation with the founding of the East India Company in 1600, through the Boston Tea Party revolt against transnational corporate domination of the early American economy, the rise of corporations during the Civil War, the ultimate theft of human rights before the Supreme Court in 1886, and into the modern-day theft of human rights in the US and worldwide by corporate interests and the politicians they own.
Because of a mistaken interpretation of a Supreme Court reporter's notes in an 1886 railroad tax case, corporations are now legally considered "persons," equal to humans and entitled to many of the same protections guaranteed only to humans by the Bill of Rights - a clear contradiction of the intent of the Founders of the United States. The results of this "corporate personhood" have been:

Unequal taxes
Unequal privacy
Unequal wealth
Unequal trade
Unequal media
Unequal regulation
Unequal responsibility for crime
Unequal protection from risk
Unequal citizenship and access to the commons

3 Comments:

Blogger fallenmonk said...

Thanks for the recommendation. I will look for it. Probably be preaching to the choir here but it may give me some weapons for the fight. I just hope it doesn't make me so made I can't think straight.

9:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info. Here's one for you: The Corporation. I loved showing it while teaching Economics and it goes over similar points. The book is great too.

Keep up the fight!

5:53 AM  
Blogger Van said...

kate : I read the book and recommeded the film to my Democracy for America group. It is an important work and should be seen by all Americans.

8:17 AM  

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